WinterGreen Research announces that it has published a new study DSL Chips: Market Shares, Strategy, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2013 to 2018. The 2013 study has 232 pages, 72 tables and figures. Worldwide DSL chip markets continue to achieve significant growth in spite of the dire predictions of market demise.

According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the study, "Deutsche Telekom, British Telecom, AT&T, Bell Canada, Century/Qwest and many other carriers have made clear they will use DSL, not fiber, for the majority of lines because it's cheaper. Increasingly, that's DSL from a neighborhood DSLAM (FTTN) with short loops that will soon be capable of 100 megabits through bonding and vectoring. There is plenty of copper wire in the telecommunications networks that can be used to provide broadband connectivity from fiber in the neighborhood, DSLAM connectivity to copper wires running into the home."

The rapid advance of end to end optical broadband networks continues to threaten to make xDSL obsolete, but copper will never go away, fiber is too expensive to use it to replace all the copper and the copper works in many cases and does not need to be replaced. xDSL markets will be strong for some long time to come as copper remains a transport line.

Copper is everywhere in the telecommunications network. It is still the primary wireless backbone transport means, meaning it continues to be vital as new wireless systems continue to expand their markets. It predominates in the local loop, creating demand for systems that are able to support high speed signal transport over copper wire.

Both smart phones and tablet devices depend on wire line backhaul, much of which is copper. As copper goes away, xDSL goes away, but this is certainly not happening within the forecast period. The development and growth of the broadband digital subscriber line (DSL) and communications processing markets is assured as carriers seek to leverage their investment in copper wire infrastructure. DSL is the way to do that with its support for high speed communications and video signal transport.

Vendors consider companies that have access to broadband or communications processing technology as potential competitors. Established competitors, suppliers of products based on new or emerging technologies, and customers who choose to develop their own technology.

Deutsche Telekom, British Telecom, AT&T, Bell Canada, Century/Qwest and many other carriers have made clear they will use DSL, not fiber, for the majority of lines because it's cheaper. Increasingly, that's DSL from a neighborhood DSLAM (FTTN) with short loops that will soon be capable of 100 megabits through bonding and vectoring.

Even the DSL customers have a hybrid fiber / copper connection; it is just the last mile that is copper, hence requiring DSL.

The communications consumer end points worldwide are moving to 100% wireless smart phones that can connect to the Internet. The communications infrastructure worldwide will remain wire based to connect the central office to the base stations, and to provide Internet / IP based connectivity to the home. The wire based communications infrastructure worldwide is all moving to fiber so as to handle the increased demand for bandwidth.

The copper is not efficient for the cable companies because of the demand for bandwidth to the home that the cable companies are providing. The copper is not efficient in the wireless backbone connectivity of the central office to the wireless base stations, and hence there is a priority on replacing the copper that is there first. The copper from the curb or from the neighborhood to toe home is efficient; therefore the need for DSL persists.

Worldwide tablet market revenues at $799 million in 2011 are anticipated to reach $1.7 billion by 2018. DSL chip markets are forecast to grow year-over-year throughout the forecast period. This is in the context of a world communications infrastructure that is changing and seeking to leverage the existing plant to hold down costs. Technology is enabling interaction, innovation, and sharing of knowledge in new ways. DSL chips promise to bring significant new broadband for Internet access capability making the Internet available for increasingly productive, efficient use.